King insists Test cricket call-up not his immediate focus

Thu, Mar 21, '24

West Indies top-order batsman Brandon King insists that while playing Test cricket remains his objective, his immediate focus is to provide leadership for Jamaica Scorpions and to score heavily in the regional four-day tournament.

King missed the opening three matches of the first-class season because of his engagement in the West Indies white-ball tour of Australia and participation in the Bangladesh Premier League.

But he returned for fourth-round action last week — and replaced Jermaine Blackwood as captain — to score a pair of assured half-centuries to lift the Scorpions to victory over West Indies Academy.

“It [playing first-class cricket] is a fantastic opportunity to put your name in the hat [for Test team selection]. [But] to be honest, I’m not thinking that far ahead,” he had told journalists on the eve of the encounter against the academy team.

“I’m just taking it one game at a time and trying to put my best foot forward for the Scorpions and see if we can win some games.”

King, 29, is a regular in the West Indies white-ball teams. He has featured in 47 Twenty20 Internationals and 37 One-Day Internationals. But he has never played Test cricket, though he has repeatedly expressed interest in the format.

Read more at Jamaica Observer